Kathleen Curtius

Title(s)Assistant Professor, Medicine
SchoolVc-health Sciences-schools
Address9500 Gilman Drive #
La Jolla CA 92093
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0002-2678-0960 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    University of Washington, Seattle, WAPhD08/2015Applied Mathematics
    University of Washington, Seattle, WAMS06/2011Applied Mathematics
    University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CABS06/2010Mathematics
    Collapse awards and honors
    Society for Mathematical Biology2024Leah Edelstein-Keshet Prize
    American Gastroenterological Association2022 Research Scholar Award
    Medical Research Council 2018Rutherford Fellowship
    QMUL Life Sciences Initiative 2017Centre for Computational Biology Showcasing Award
    NIH 2016T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship (awarded)
    Society for Experimental Biology2016Cell Symposium Early Career Travel Award
    NIDDK2016R13 Travel Award
    Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics2012Life Sciences Poster Award
    National Science Foundation 2011Graduate Research Fellowship

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    In July 2020, Dr. Kathleen (Kit) Curtius joined UCSD as an Assistant Professor in the Division for Biomedical Informatics, Department of Medicine. She is also an Associate Member of the Cancer Control Program at UCSD Moores Cancer Center. She previously held a Medical Research Council Rutherford Fellowship at Barts Cancer Institute in London UK, where she began as a postdoc in Prof Trevor Graham’s Evolution and Cancer lab in 2016. Before moving to the UK, Dr. Curtius was a Gastroenterology Fellow in the University of Washington (UW) Department of Medicine. She received her PhD in Applied Mathematics from UW in 2015, working with advisor Dr. Georg Luebeck at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and obtained a BS in Mathematics from UCLA in 2010.

    The research aim of her interdisciplinary group, the Quantitative Cancer Control laboratory, is to improve the ability to detect and prevent cancer at the earliest stages. To achieve this, the team develops ways to use mathematical reasoning to better understand the correlations between multi-scale cancer data arising from the underlying process of somatic evolution. Their translational work requires integration with screening guideline committees, clinicians, geneticists, molecular and computational biologists, and other areas that are primed for novel informatics and modeling approaches in cancer control efforts.

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    Multiscale modeling of spatiotemporal evolution in Barrett's esophagus
    NIH R01CA270235Sep 1, 2023 - Aug 31, 2028
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Mathematical Optimization of Surveillance Ages to Intercept colitis-associated Colorectal cancer (MOSAIC)
    NIH I01BX005958Jul 1, 2023 - Jun 30, 2027
    Role: Principal Investigator

    Collapse ORNG Applications 
    Collapse Featured Publications

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Incomplete human reference genomes can drive false sex biases and expose patient-identifying information in metagenomic data. Nat Commun. 2025 Jan 18; 16(1):825. Guccione C, Patel L, Tomofuji Y, McDonald D, Gonzalez A, Sepich-Poore GD, Sonehara K, Zakeri M, Chen Y, Dilmore AH, Damle N, Baranzini SE, Hightower G, Nakatsuji T, Gallo RL, Langmead B, Okada Y, Curtius K, Knight R. PMID: 39827261; PMCID: PMC11742726.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    2. Digital twins are integral to personalizing medicine and improving public health. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Nov; 21(11):740-741. Johnson B, Curtius K. PMID: 39384936; PMCID: PMC11934931.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    
    3. cloneRate: fast estimation of single-cell clonal dynamics using coalescent theory. Bioinformatics. 2023 09 02; 39(9). Johnson B, Shuai Y, Schweinsberg J, Curtius K. PMID: 37699006; PMCID: PMC10534056.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    4. CNETML: maximum likelihood inference of phylogeny from copy number profiles of multiple samples. Genome Biol. 2023 06 20; 24(1):144. Lu B, Curtius K, Graham TA, Yang Z, Barnes CP. PMID: 37340508; PMCID: PMC10283241.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    5. Autoimmune alleles at the major histocompatibility locus modify melanoma susceptibility. Am J Hum Genet. 2023 07 06; 110(7):1138-1161. Talwar JV, Laub D, Pagadala MS, Castro A, Lewis M, Luebeck GE, Gorman BR, Pan C, Dong FN, Markianos K, Teerlink CC, Lynch J, Hauger R, Pyarajan S, Tsao PS, Morris GP, Salem RM, Thompson WK, Curtius K, Zanetti M, Carter H. PMID: 37339630; PMCID: PMC10357503.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    6. You are what you excrete. Nat Microbiol. 2023 Jun; 8(6):1002-1003. Guccione C, McDonald D, Fielding-Miller R, Curtius K, Knight R. PMID: 37231087.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    
    7. Long-term outcomes of pouch surveillance and risk of neoplasia in familial adenomatous polyposis. Endoscopy. 2023 09; 55(9):836-846. Patel RV, Curtius K, Man R, Fletcher J, Cuthill V, Clark SK, von Roon AC, Latchford A. PMID: 36807005; PMCID: PMC10465241.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    8. AI-assisted discovery of an ethnicity-influenced driver of cell transformation in esophageal and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas. JCI Insight. 2022 09 22; 7(18). Ghosh P, Campos VJ, Vo DT, Guccione C, Goheen-Holland V, Tindle C, Mazzini GS, He Y, Alexandrov LB, Lippman SM, Gurski RR, Das S, Yadlapati R, Curtius K, Sahoo D. PMID: 36134663; PMCID: PMC9675486.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    9. The mutational signatures of formalin fixation on the human genome. Nat Commun. 2022 09 06; 13(1):4487. Guo Q, Lakatos E, Bakir IA, Curtius K, Graham TA, Mustonen V. PMID: 36068219; PMCID: PMC9448750.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 30     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    10. Review article: Lynch Syndrome-a mechanistic and clinical management update. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2022 04; 55(8):960-977. Curtius K, Gupta S, Boland CR. PMID: 35315099; PMCID: PMC10936860.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    11. Cancer's second genome: Microbial cancer diagnostics and redefining clonal evolution as a multispecies process: Humans and their tumors are not aseptic, and the multispecies nature of cancer modulates clinical care and clonal evolution: Humans and their tumors are not aseptic, and the multispecies nature of cancer modulates clinical care and clonal evolution. Bioessays. 2022 05; 44(5):e2100252. Sepich-Poore GD, Guccione C, Laplane L, Pradeu T, Curtius K, Knight R. PMID: 35253252; PMCID: PMC10506734.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 13     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    12. Challenges in Determining the Role of Microbiome Evolution in Barrett's Esophagus and Progression to Esophageal Adenocarcinoma. Microorganisms. 2021 Sep 22; 9(10). Guccione C, Yadlapati R, Shah S, Knight R, Curtius K. PMID: 34683324; PMCID: PMC8541168.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4  
    13. Multicentre derivation and validation of a colitis-associated colorectal cancer risk prediction web tool. Gut. 2022 04; 71(4):705-715. Curtius K, Kabir M, Al Bakir I, Choi CHR, Hartono JL, Johnson M, East JE, Oxford IBD Cohort Study Investigators, Lindsay JO, Vega R, Thomas-Gibson S, Warusavitarne J, Wilson A, Graham TA, Hart A. PMID: 33990383; PMCID: PMC8921573.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    14. Modeling historic incidence trends implies early field cancerization in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. PLoS Comput Biol. 2021 05; 17(5):e1008961. Luebeck GE, Vaughan TL, Curtius K, Hazelton WD. PMID: 33939693; PMCID: PMC8118544.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    15. Optimal Timing for Cancer Screening and Adaptive Surveillance Using Mathematical Modeling. Cancer Res. 2021 02 15; 81(4):1123-1134. Curtius K, Dewanji A, Hazelton WD, Rubenstein JH, Luebeck GE. PMID: 33293425; PMCID: PMC7611607.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    16. Computational modelling suggests that Barrett's oesophagus may be the precursor of all oesophageal adenocarcinomas. Gut. 2020 Nov 24. Curtius K, Rubenstein JH, Chak A, Inadomi JM. PMID: 33234525; PMCID: PMC8292551.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 18     Fields:    
    17. Specific Mechanisms of Chromosomal Instability Indicate Therapeutic Sensitivities in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma. Cancer Res. 2020 11 15; 80(22):4946-4959. Tamura N, Shaikh N, Muliaditan D, Soliman TN, McGuinness JR, Maniati E, Moralli D, Durin MA, Green CM, Balkwill FR, Wang J, Curtius K, McClelland SE. PMID: 32998996.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 26     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    18. A novel use of random priming-based single-strand library preparation for whole genome sequencing of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples. NAR Genom Bioinform. 2020 Mar; 2(1):lqz017. Saunderson EA, Baker AM, Williams M, Curtius K, Jones JL, Graham TA, Ficz G. PMID: 31867579; PMCID: PMC6919645.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4  
    19. The 2019 mathematical oncology roadmap. Phys Biol. 2019 06 19; 16(4):041005. Rockne RC, Hawkins-Daarud A, Swanson KR, Sluka JP, Glazier JA, Macklin P, Hormuth DA, Jarrett AM, Lima EABF, Tinsley Oden J, Biros G, Yankeelov TE, Curtius K, Al Bakir I, Wodarz D, Komarova N, Aparicio L, Bordyuh M, Rabadan R, Finley SD, Enderling H, Caudell J, Moros EG, Anderson ARA, Gatenby RA, Kaznatcheev A, Jeavons P, Krishnan N, Pelesko J, Wadhwa RR, Yoon N, Nichol D, Marusyk A, Hinczewski M, Scott JG. PMID: 30991381; PMCID: PMC6655440.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 73     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    20. From Colitis to Cancer: An Evolutionary Trajectory That Merges Maths and Biology. Front Immunol. 2018; 9:2368. Al Bakir I, Curtius K, Graham TA. PMID: 30386335; PMCID: PMC6198656.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 17     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    21. Implications of Epigenetic Drift in Colorectal Neoplasia. Cancer Res. 2019 02 01; 79(3):495-504. Luebeck GE, Hazelton WD, Curtius K, Maden SK, Yu M, Carter KT, Burke W, Lampe PD, Li CI, Ulrich CM, Newcomb PA, Westerhoff M, Kaz AM, Luo Y, Inadomi JM, Grady WM. PMID: 30291105; PMCID: PMC6359943.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 17     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    22. Evolutionary history of human colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Gut. 2019 06; 68(6):985-995. Baker AM, Cross W, Curtius K, Al Bakir I, Choi CR, Davis HL, Temko D, Biswas S, Martinez P, Williams MJ, Lindsay JO, Feakins R, Vega R, Hayes SJ, Tomlinson IPM, McDonald SAC, Moorghen M, Silver A, East JE, Wright NA, Wang LM, Rodriguez-Justo M, Jansen M, Hart AL, Leedham SJ, Graham TA. PMID: 29991641; PMCID: PMC6580738.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 70     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    23. An evolutionary perspective on field cancerization. Nat Rev Cancer. 2018 Jan; 18(1):19-32. Curtius K, Wright NA, Graham TA. PMID: 29217838.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 231     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    24. Evolution of Premalignant Disease. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2017 Dec 01; 7(12). Curtius K, Wright NA, Graham TA. PMID: 28490542; PMCID: PMC5710095.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 18     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    25. Identification of a key role of widespread epigenetic drift in Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Clin Epigenetics. 2017; 9:113. Luebeck EG, Curtius K, Hazelton WD, Maden S, Yu M, Thota PN, Patil DT, Chak A, Willis JE, Grady WM. PMID: 29046735; PMCID: PMC5644061.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 16     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    26. Radiofrequency Ablation of Barrett's Esophagus Reduces Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Incidence and Mortality in a Comparative Modeling Analysis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 09; 15(9):1471-1474. Kroep S, Heberle CR, Curtius K, Kong CY, Lansdorp-Vogelaar I, Ali A, Wolf WA, Shaheen NJ, Spechler SJ, Rubenstein JH, Nishioka NS, Meltzer SJ, Hazelton WD, van Ballegooijen M, Tramontano AC, Gazelle GS, Luebeck EG, Inadomi JM, Hur C. PMID: 28089850; PMCID: PMC5507756.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 15     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    27. A Molecular Clock Infers Heterogeneous Tissue Age Among Patients with Barrett's Esophagus. PLoS Comput Biol. 2016 05; 12(5):e1004919. Curtius K, Wong CJ, Hazelton WD, Kaz AM, Chak A, Willis JE, Grady WM, Luebeck EG. PMID: 27168458; PMCID: PMC4864310.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 28     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    28. A Multiscale Model Evaluates Screening for Neoplasia in Barrett's Esophagus. PLoS Comput Biol. 2015 May; 11(5):e1004272. Curtius K, Hazelton WD, Jeon J, Luebeck EG. PMID: 26001209; PMCID: PMC4441439.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 18     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    29. The Role of Gastroesophageal Reflux and Other Factors during Progression to Esophageal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2015 Jul; 24(7):1012-23. Hazelton WD, Curtius K, Inadomi JM, Vaughan TL, Meza R, Rubenstein JH, Hur C, Luebeck EG. PMID: 25931440; PMCID: PMC4491004.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 21     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    30. Exploring the recent trend in esophageal adenocarcinoma incidence and mortality using comparative simulation modeling. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2014 Jun; 23(6):997-1006. Kong CY, Kroep S, Curtius K, Hazelton WD, Jeon J, Meza R, Heberle CR, Miller MC, Choi SE, Lansdorp-Vogelaar I, van Ballegooijen M, Feuer EJ, Inadomi JM, Hur C, Luebeck EG. PMID: 24692500; PMCID: PMC4048738.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 41     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    31. Impact of tumor progression on cancer incidence curves. Cancer Res. 2013 Feb 01; 73(3):1086-96. Luebeck EG, Curtius K, Jeon J, Hazelton WD. PMID: 23054397; PMCID: PMC3746830.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 54     Fields:    Translation:Humans
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